CJ SWABY

I've been involved in the sport since I was fourteen years of age (at the time of writing this I am thirty six). So what have I learned from boxing? A lot.

But today I want to share with you one important lesson, that I never fully appreciated until recently. We all have that inner conversation that can stop us from doing what we want to do, if we let it.

We procrastinate. We justify. We freeze. We tell ourselves that "I'm not ready." We tell ourselves that when I have that thing, or when this happens, then I'll be ready.

But it doesn't work like that.

Here's why.

I remember vividly being in the ring, those 2 or 3 minute rounds can seem like an eternity. A lot can happen in that short space of time.

You can get injured, your game plan may fall apart, your opponent may become weaker, or start getting frustrated. The referee may neutralise your ability to be effective in the fight.

Inbetween those rounds you get one minutes rest.

Just 60 seconds.

In those short 60 seconds, your injuries have to be addressed. You have to recover as best you can physically. You have to take in the information and evaluation of your coach, who is telling you how to adjust your game plan. While all this is going on, that internal chatter is in full swing.

Time is ticking.

You could still be punch drunk, still bleeding, only got half of the game plan your coach was telling you. That internal dialogue may be on full blast, but when that bell rings you get up off that stool and you fight.

Whether you think you are ready or not. You do the best you can, with what you have, right then and there. Sometimes it works out for you. Sometimes it doesn't. That's life. But if you think about it, in boxing and in life, you are often ready, whether you believe you are, or not.